Photographic cameras are known which are sealed against external influences such as sand, moisture, etc., or against water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,600, DE 28 23 607, DE 31 12 875 and DE 42 12 845, disclose cameras of this type, sometimes of watertight configuration. A photographic camera which is not watertight but is sealed against sand and moisture is described in DE-A1-44 14 854.
The joint resulting in the assembled condition of the camera body is here mostly sealed using separate elastic sealing elements, for example O-rings, gaiter-like rubber elements, sealing means etc. to avoid these influences.
DE 31 12 875 describes a watertight camera with a seal configuration where a filler is cast as a sealing element into the joints formed between stationary outer components of the camera. The filler is in a liquid state before casting and hardens when in place.
Furthermore, DE 42 12 845 describes a watertight camera having a rear wall opening and shutting on a hinge and sealed off from the camera body by a circumferential seal. A further seal used for sealing an adjuster for the viewfinder is attached to the movable rear wall of the camera and is in sealing contact with the camera body.
Configurations of this type are marked by separate individual parts that first have to be joined together, so that the manufacture of a watertight photographic camera is time, material and cost intensive.
For photographic cameras, watertightness is, for example, achieved by an all-round body. Removing the film from these cameras is very complex, since first the outer body has to be opened and the camera removed. Only then can the camera enclosure, generally of cardboard, be opened and the film removed.
A camera which is sealed against moisture, sand and dust and can thus be handled under normal conditions, can be created using simple means. However, if such a camera is to ensure watertightness, i.e. is to allow usage under water as well, a considerable amount of time, material and money is required for the construction and manufacture.
It would thus be desirable to provide a watertight photographic camera that is of simple design, protects against dust and moisture in normal usage, and ensures dependable watertightness when the camera is used underwater. It would also be desirable to provide for simple removal of film and batteries after complete exposure of a film as well as inexpensive recyclability of the used camera body.